A Salvation Army case worker helps guide Sherry Glen to the most appropriate resources.
Following a successful pilot project to provide targeted services to families to enable a way out of intergenerational poverty, The Salvation Army is planning to roll out the program – Pathway of Hope – across Canada by 2020.
First launched in the United States, the Canadian organization adapted the program to fit the needs of the nearly 400 communities where it provides assistance. The 2016 pilot project focused on 22 families in six locations. Several families have already reached their goals and graduated from the program.
"We really are looking at families with children in order to break that cycle of intergenerational poverty. We have some studies that say if a child spends more than half of their life in poverty growing up, then they're 32 times more likely to live in poverty as an adult," says Matthew Craggs, The Salvation Army's Pathway of Hope coordinator.
The initiative is based on a case management approach, and Mr. Craggs explains the process is driven by the client, their family and their goals. A screening tool helps the case workers establish a family's readiness to participate in the program, and an intensive review process examines their strengths and includes a hope assessment. He says case workers also look at the family's circumstances, including income and employment, access to food, health and education.
"From there we work with their strengths and with their goals. Our initiative is not about telling people what to do, or telling them how to change their lives, it's driven by the client," adds Mr. Craggs.
The Salvation Army, the largest non-governmental direct provider of social services in Canada, draws on its own resources and those of complementary agencies to support the project.
"The Salvation Army runs its own childcare, employment readiness and education programs, and then, because we're in so many communities and our work has always been grassroots-driven and community-focused, we are looking to work with our other community partners. We don't want to duplicate services," he adds.
While there are many services available to people who need them, system navigation is challenging in health and social services.
"We are focused on finding the best service for Pathway of Hope clients and referring them in an expedient manner," says Mr. Craggs.
The Salvation Army provides assistance to more than 1.9 million people every year, but, through the Pathway of Hope initiative, the organization wants to move toward solving and addressing root causes, while continuing to serve clients with short-term interventions and practical assistance.
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